Grandpa Wang nodded, fully understanding the ins and outs of the matter, but he was even more worried.

The investigation into the assassination of the Marquis of Xinting was personally overseen by the Emperor.

Now that their family has been suddenly dragged into this mess, even the Emperor might know, yet he hasn't stopped them.

Then, considering that the government office received an imperial edict...

Could it be that the Emperor is using this incident to put pressure on the Wang family, and by extension, on the entire Jiangnan aristocratic family?

The more Old Master Wang thought about it, the more he frowned, and a layer of cold sweat covered his back.

"Let's go back to the manor!"

The Wang family's carriage quickly drove away, leaving the clerk clutching a piece of silver, spitting out a mouthful of dust, and muttering under his breath, "They're so scared they don't even want their son anymore. Sure enough, the Wang family has no good people!"

In the government office, Wang E and Wang Zhong were beaten until they were covered in blood and thrown into prison, awaiting exile to the southwest to do hard labor.

Li Zhensheng and Li Lao Er once again thanked the prefect and the elders and fellow villagers, and then boarded the carriage that Wang Fu had brought.

Inside the carriage, Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er clung tightly to each other. They hadn't seen their mother being beaten, but they instinctively knew that her fate was likely grim...

Although Dad is right, mistakes must have consequences, but she is their mother, so it's inevitable that they will be heartbroken.

As soon as Li Zhensheng got into the car, he quickly hugged the two children, saying, "Don't be afraid, it's all over now. Dad will take you to see Grandma."

The two children remained silent, which touched Li Lao Er's heart. He gently patted their hair and chatted with them with a smile, "Li-ge'er, Mao-ge'er, I'm your second uncle. Let's go back to Grandma's house together. Do you know, Grandma's house has a hot spring resort, it's especially beautiful and lively. There are also orchards on the mountain where we can climb trees and pick fruit, and melon fields where we can sit and eat winter melons and cantaloupes..."

"It's a pity the garden is closed now, but your second uncle will plant more next year so you can eat your fill! You can watch the melon patch with your brothers, go fishing in the river, and go hunting wild rabbits and pheasants in the mountains with your fourth uncle. They even caught a lot of wild pigeons a few days ago."

Cat Brother was young and playful, and his eyes sparkled as he listened.

Li Ge'er, being more sensible, asked in a low voice, "Second Uncle, will my father's illness get better if he stays with Grandma?"

"Yes," Li Lao Er nodded, reaching out to hug Li Ge tightly. Looking into his eyes, he solemnly promised, "I promise you, your second uncle will definitely cure your father. You are all members of the Li family. Your father has suffered a lot, and we traveled thousands of miles to find you here. So, your father will definitely get better, and our whole family will live together happily from now on."

"You will study in the newly built school in the village, learn martial arts from your fourth uncle to strengthen your body, play with your brothers and sisters, eat delicious food cooked by your fourth aunt, and be loved by your grandmother and the whole family!"

Perhaps sensing the determination in his second uncle's words, Li Ge'er's eyes reddened.

If all of these things my second uncle mentioned are true, then not having a mother doesn't seem so unbearable...

The weather at the end of autumn is a rare, refreshing time of year.

The sky was cloudless and dazzlingly blue, and the autumn wind carried a slight chill, blowing slowly everywhere.

The farmers, having finally finished their autumn harvest, now have time to enjoy the scenery.

Whether it's walking around in the fields with your hands behind your back or lying on a haystack gazing at the sky, you'll feel incredibly relaxed.

Similarly, the hot spring valley has seen an unusually large number of visitors these past few days.

Soaking in a hot spring, drinking tea, chatting idly, and occasionally leaning against a big rock to look at the sky when you feel lazy—there's nothing more pleasant than this.

In the new village, timber and stone have already been hauled in in preparation for building a school.

After finishing the autumn harvest, the villagers didn't rest for a single day and immediately started preparing for this matter.

The work was hard, but not a single villager complained of being tired.

This is all for the children's education and for the future of the new village. No matter how tired or hard it is, they feel sweet in their hearts!

For some reason, the old lady has been feeling rather irritable these past few days.

I got up early and wandered around the yard, picked up a water ladle and then threw it down, chopped a cabbage and then did nothing about it, as if there were no flies around, just bumping around everywhere.

She finally gave up, sat under the eaves, frowned and sighed, "I'm really getting old, nothing feels right anymore."

Jiayin ran back from the neighbor's yard. Seeing that her grandmother was unhappy, she quickly snuggled into her grandmother's arms and reached out her little hand to rub her grandmother's temples. "Grandma, if you're happy, I'll give you money!"

As she said this, she flipped her little hand, and a silver ingot appeared in her palm, which she then stuffed into the old lady's hand.

The old lady was startled and quickly looked around. Seeing that there were no outsiders, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She slapped her granddaughter and whispered, "How many times have I told you not to take things out without permission? Be careful, or you'll be mistaken for a demon and kidnapped!"

Then, she stuffed the silver into her granddaughter's hand, saying, "Keep it safe, Grandma doesn't need any money."

Jiayin wasn't scared at all. She happily accepted the money and then took a melon. "Grandma, eat melon with Fu Niu, it's sweet!"

This time, the old lady did not refuse. She carefully broke open the melon, collected the seeds, and then sat under the eaves with her granddaughter, eating and chatting.

"Fu Niu, Grandma is really worried. I don't know if something bad has happened. But everything is fine at home. Maybe I'm just overthinking it."

"Hmm," Jiayin nodded emphatically, a melon seed that had slipped through the net resting on her nose, and replied, "You're overthinking it."

Grandma Li laughed, quickly removed the melon seeds, wiped her granddaughter's nose clean, and scolded her gently, "You little glutton, you're getting more and more sensible, you even know how to comfort your grandma now."

Just then, Li Laosi came in from outside. Seeing his mother smiling, he secretly felt relieved.

When his second brother left, he gave him a few careful instructions, and that's when he learned that his second brother and his accomplices were planning something big and wanted to bring his eldest brother home.

But is it possible that the Wang family will release them? It seems very difficult no matter how you look at it.

He was worried because he didn't know how things were going in the city, so he decided to come back to stay with his mother. "Mother, how is Young Master Ye?"

"That's great. Dongmei is taking care of things now, and I'd like to go for a walk in the valley." Old Mrs. Li broke off another piece of the half-eaten melon in her hand and stuffed it into her son's hands.

Li Laosi was startled and quickly stopped her, saying, "Mother, I just saw Dongmei leave. Perhaps Young Master Ye has some instructions. These next few days, please take good care of Young Master Ye and don't go to the valley. Just make sure you take good care of Young Master Ye and Fu Niu."

"Dongmei left without telling me?" the old lady asked, puzzled, but still replied, "Alright, don't worry. Young Master Ye can get out of bed now, so he doesn't have much work to do."

As she spoke, she picked up Fu Niu and carried her to the neighboring yard.

Li Laosi breathed a sigh of relief and took a bite of the cantaloupe.

The melons that used to taste incredibly sweet now had no flavor at all. He couldn't help but look towards Xindu, his heart pounding with anxiety...

Young Master Ye strolled leisurely in the courtyard. When he saw the old lady approaching, he smiled and said, "Auntie, why aren't you resting? There's probably a big celebration going on at home soon. When things get busy, you might not even have time to sleep."

The old lady listened with a puzzled look and asked, "A joyous occasion? My eyelids have been twitching all day, and I was worried that something bad was going to happen. Is this a joyous occasion?"

Young Master Ye smiled without saying a word, but Jia Yin guessed what was going on and smiled like a little fox.

The old lady was even more confused. "What exactly happened? How did Fu Niu find out about it?"

Before she could ask any more questions, a commotion broke out outside, so she turned and went out.